Opposition in Iran Meets a Crossroads on Strategy

This article concerns the disappointment felt by many leaders of Iranian opposition movements. These leaders had meant for a massive show of opposition to the current government to coincide with the 31st anniversary of the revolution. However, most of these efforts were suppressed by government intervention or a lack of central organization. The government has arrested opposition leaders and protesters, intimidated protesters and used force to suppress demonstrations. Members within the opposition disagree on what methods of protest are effective and criticize the lack of concrete leadership found within the movement. Others have claimed at least limited victory, saying that participation in the celebration of the Revolution was significantly lower than in the past.

This is relevant to our readings because it shows it deals with the inherent nature of peace. A liberal theorist would promote the idea that there would be peace in Iran by default if it weren't for the unstable and irrational political leaders (like President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) that dictate Iranian policy. Others (including realists like Mearshiemer) would argue that this proves that the state of nature (or something very close) can exist on a domestic level and thus it's not unreasonable to think that it might occur on an international level. I recognize that I take a fair amount of liberties with these assertions, but based on my understanding of our readings, I think that these are close approximations of what the response of both liberal and realist thinkers to the domestic situation in Iran.